Nausharo

Nausharo is an archaeological site dating back to the Harappan period, located in Balochistan, Pakistan [1]. The excavations were carried out between 1985 and 1996 by a French team of archaeologists, under the direction of Jean-François Jarrige [1]. Excavations at Nausharo, 6 km from Mehrgarh, revealed a dwelling-site contemporaneous and identical to the later periods of Mehrgarh [1]. The discovery of a pottery workshop at Nausharo revealed fired and unfired pottery pieces and unworked clay, as well as 12 flint blades or blade fragments [1]. Also significant was the discovery of copper traces found on the platforms of two blades examined with a scanning electron microscope and X ray analysis [1]. Somewhere between 2600 BC and 2000 BC, Mehrgarh seems to have been largely abandoned in favor of Nausharo, which became fortified and quite large [1].